Privateer Profile: Weston Peick

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Weston Peick showed up at Glen Helen without much hype. He had quietly prepared and was ready to make an impact in his first race as a professional. Weston made his mark that day, finishing 9th overall. He beat many factory riders such as Short, Byrne, Brayton, and a lot more. The next day he was offered a ride with the MotoConcepts team. He lived the dream all summer, and now it’s all starting again with Supercross season coming up.

Racer X: Weston, you came out of nowhere to score a top ten at Glen Helen in your first national. Did you do any big amateur events before that?
Yeah, I raced as an amateur for about two years and I was just getting tired of being gone for months at a time, so I decided to race the nationals professionally. I felt my speed was good and knew longer motos would benefit me, because I don’t get tired.

Did you expect to do as well as you did at Glen Helen?
Yes, I did expect it because I worked really hard for it. I practiced and raced a lot at Glen Helen leading up to the national. Plus I knew I would tire out a lot of them at the end with the track being so rough. I was very prepared mentally and physically.

So is it true after Glen Helen you weren't sure if you could continue on because of money?
Yes, we were in a financial crisis and didn’t have a lot of money to race at all. If I didn’t do as good as I did at Glen Helen and get a support ride right after, we wouldn’t have been able to race the nationals.

It must have seemed like a dream come true when MotoConcepts stepped up and offered you a ride. They are an excellent team and very professional. How much did that change things for you?
It was awesome! It changed everything! It was a big help and I didn’t have worry about how I was going to make it to the next race. The bike was much better than my own bike and the team is so organized. It took pressure off of me; all I had to worry about was racing.

Since you are a big guy and people automatically think you are out of shape, tell me what your training is like.
Yeah, it’s funny because people always look at me and underestimate me because of my size. My training program is 4 days a week in the gym and I ride 3 days a week on the track. If I’m so out of shape in those people’s minds how come I never physically fade and feel really strong on the last lap? (Laughs)

How do you feel late in the motos?
I feel stronger towards the end of the motos and sometimes wish they were 45 minutes!

How do you feel your results have been this year?
They have been up and down. I’ve had some awesome finishes this year and I’ve also had a lot of bad luck. A bunch of times this year I was inside the top ten in the final laps, only to DNF because of something out of my control. But it’s only my first year and I feel I’ve proven I’m a top ten guy. There’s a lot more to come and next year I’m really going to surprise people!

Tell me a little about the bad luck and running out of gas.
I’ve had a few crashes here and there, but I’ve had a few bikes blow up and a few other problems. But yeah, I ran out of gas the second moto at Southwick. Maybe because it was really sandy, but who knows? I need a five-gallon tank! But really, I almost ran out of gas on the finish line both times at Glen Helen also.

So what's your plan for next year?
My plan is to race supercross, but right now I don’t have a ride so it’s up in the air.

I've heard a lot of talk about teams not being interested in you for supercross because they don't think can ride it, and with your size, think you won't be able to get a start. What do you have to say about that?
Yeah, that’s what everybody keeps telling me and it’s getting old! It’s like anything else, it just takes time and practice. It’s not rocket science! I plan on training very hard for supercross the second nationals are over. I will learn supercross and prove all the doubters wrong again.

Do you want to ride 450 or 250 indoors?
It really doesn’t matter to me as long as the bike is fast enough.

Do you have any plans or goals for 2010 as of now?
To hopefully get a ride for supercross and land some top ten finishes. I believe that I’m physically ready for anything at the pro level. Also, with the amount of time I’m going to put in, riding Supercross, before the season starts, I will be ready. I want teams to think they shouldn’t have doubted me and wish they had given me a chance! I believe in myself and that’s all that matters.

All in all, how do you think your first year as a pro went?
I think it’s been good because I’ve showed people that I can run up front and that I have potential.

How do you think you will do next year in the outdoors, now that you’ve run inside the top ten consistently?
I definitely think I can pull off top five finishes or even some podiums now that I have the first year experience.